Microchannel processing of nanomaterials can provide a number of advantages over conventional batch processing, including, for example, lower production cost, safer operation, improved selectivity, reduced energy consumption and better process control. These improvements in synthesis are largely due to the large surface-area-to-volume ratios possible within microreactor technology leading to accelerated heat and mass transport. This accelerated transport allows for rapid changes in reaction temperatures and concentrations leading to more uniform heating and mixing.
One concern in micromixer design is the non-uniform velocity profile due to laminar flow which leads to variations in shear-dependent mixing and a broadening of the residence time distribution (RTD) of molecules within the channel. Velocity profiles become even more difficult to manage as the design is scaled up through “numbering up” strategies that combine multiple microchannel structures together. Another concern in micromixer design is clogging. The size and shape of current microchannel structures are prone to undesirable clogging.